Target Acquired

This Christian thriller is the second in a series - but reads easily as a standalone. I had no issues following along and don't even know which characters were the focus of the first book. Target Acquired follows tenacious, Kenzie King as she tries to figure out if her SWAT team is being targeted or if it's just her that has a target on her back. She's proud to have been chosen as the SWAT medic even if she's the only girl on the team. Most of the guys don't seem to trust her, except for Cole that is. He is her brother's best friend and unless she's mistaken there might be something blossoming between the two of them. There's not much time for romance though because they need to figure out who is attacking them and why they seem to want Kenzie dead. Is it one of the guys on the team who has an axe to grind?! To make matters even more complicated her father (a disgraced former police chief) confesses that he thinks her mother's death a decade ago may have actually been murder. There is a LOT going on in this book with lots of loose threads. But like all inspirational reads everything does eventually get resolved. I wanted to like this more than I did - but there were aspects of the plot that were so wildly unbelievable and over the top that it seemed to distract from the story. I wish they had done more with the alternate storyline with Betsy as well.

45 Ways to Live Like an Italian

This was a fun little bathroom book to read through. As someone with Italian heritage it was fun to learn a little bit more about Italian lifestyles and tradition. Each section has a little illustration, info about a food, activity, way of life, saying, etc. and ends with some tips or ways you can incorporate it into your own life. It was fun and enjoyable. Not life changing, but had some good advice and interesting takes on happiness. Like I said, good bathroom reading. 

The House in the Pines

Ugh - I hate rating this book so low. It was well written but the main character was supremely unlikable and when you get to the end and discover the twist?! Man I just wanted to throw the book against the wall. Glad I just checked this one out from the library and didn't buy it. I like thrillers and I like thrillers with weird premises - but this one.... not good. 

Counting the Cost

WOW! Such an eye opening memoir about what really went on in the Duggar household. This isn't some tabloid fuel, scandalous account - this is a real, conflicted, raw, and emotional recounting about the highs and the lows. It's clear how much love Jill still has for her family but I am so proud of her for finally putting up boundaries and learning to be her authentic self rather than the version that her parents wanted her to be. It's narrated by Jill and captivated me from the start. AN excellent audiobook for anyone who knows anything about the Duggar family or people who want to read about others cutting off toxic family and toxic faith. 

Good Enough

I ADORED this book. I read a section every single morning and it helped set the tone for my whole day. Kate Bowler is an absolute gem and I so appreciated the analogies, the humor, and the heartfelt sentiment. I sincerely need to read all her other books and I CANNOT wait to reread this book again. The messages were so profound and so relatable. Do yourself a favor and read this book - you don't need to be overly spiritual or religious to benefit for this book - this book is for all women. 

Swift and Saddled

I love this series so much. You can read any of these as standalones but it is fun to read them in order so you understand some of the side characters backgrounds. Swift and Saddled follows Wes, the middle Ryder sibling and Ada, the interior designer he has hired. Wes has middle child syndrome bad - his older brother will inherit the Rebel Blue Ranch someday, his baby sister is a champion barrel horse rider and he needs to make his mark. He decides to renovate an old cabin on the property and turn it into a guest ranch. Enter Ada, she's pretty much friendless, loveless, and is desperately running away from San Francisco. There might be a chance that the best place she could run to would be into her sexy cowboy bosses arms. Delicious. I literally CANNOT WAIT for the next one - I have been DYING for Teddy and Gus to get together. 

Morning Gratitude

I started reading this devotional a few months ago and honestly it has been such an empowering and inspiring start to my day. I genuinely look forward to reading each day's passage and prayer and I think it has made a big impact on how I greet the day and has definitely grown my relationship with God. I am also reading an evening version at night - but that one is taking longer to complete because there are definitely some nights where I pass out to quick. Love starting and ending my day with a little spiritual reflection! 

Done and Dusted

This was such a fun sexy read. I am so jacked to start the next in the series. I love romances told in alternating perspectives. Done and Dusted is about Clementine - a barrel rider at the top of her game who after a terrifying fall from her horse comes back to her family's ranch with her tail between her legs and Logan - a sexy cowboy who is best friends with her brother and is a royal pain in the ass. The two grew up together in mutual dislike - but Luke hasn't seen Clementine in years and he is blown away by how sexy she has grown. How is this the same girl he up making fun of?! Clementine has never been impressed with Luke or his looks and she always thought he was an immature and vain man. But maybe there is more lurking beneath the surface? A fantastic, smutty western romance with unbelievable chemistry.  It's also a super quick read - I finished it in only two sittings! 

Moving Forward

While this is the second in a series - it easily reads as a standalone. Shelley Shepard Gray has penned another firefighter romance in a small Colorado mountain town and as one can expect - there is definitely a happy ending. Greg is veteran and current firefighter. Staying busy at work helps keep his mind off of the horrors he experienced over in Iraq and Afghanistan. While at work he goes on a run and helps rescue a gorgeous women having heart issues. The two hit it off, but they are keeping secrets from each other - will they learn to trust each other enough to open up fully? Or will they keep their hearts locked down. Sweet, sentimental, and chaste. 

Ross Poldark

I watched the first few seasons of the new tv adaptation and pretty quickly fell in love the show. I knew that I would have to read the book series as soon as I realized that was what the show was based on. This is the first in the series and it isn't bad - but it does ramble in some places, but the writing is beautiful. Ross Poldark comes back to England after fighting for Britain in the Revolutionary War. His father has passed and the estate is now his. It's a shabby house and the land is overgrown but he makes a go of it. He is sorely upset to find out that his beloved, Elizabeth, is betrothed to his cousin Francis. He is heartbroken but puts his mind off of it and puts all his focus into making the most out of his lot. When he rescues a dirty beaten child he has no idea how much his life will soon change for the better. I think I like the show better, but I still may try to read the second book in the series. 

Coming Home

A nice breezy romance there was very chaste and heavy on second chances. A small town in Colorado got even smaller when Anderson Kelly returned home from serving in the military. He broke up with his high school sweetheart, Chelsea, as soon as he enlisted and hasn't really seen her since. He thought their breakup would be temporary and that she would wait for him while he grew up, but she went to college and got pregnant and his heart never fully healed. Chelsea, has regrets, but her son Jack is not one of them. It's hard being a single mom but she has a job that she loves and wonderful friends and neighbors. When Anderson comes back to their hometown to work as a firefighter she is surprised that her heart still feels a pull to him even though he broke her heart. Wholesome, sweet, and a quick inspirational romance that is the first in a series! 

Weyward

This book gave me major Alice Hoffman vibes. I loved the witchy vibes and the three alternating storylines. Altha is a healer from the 17th century and she is on trial for murdering an esteemed villager with witchcraft. Violet is a sheltered daughter who delights in the simple beauty of nature on her family's estate during the mid twentieth century. Kate is a victim of domestic abuse and desperate to escape her husband's clutches. When she finds the courage to escape she fleas to her great aunt Violet's cottage in the countryside. These three strong woman may be separated by many years but they are bound by blood and the Weyward name. I was interested in all three storylines and it was so interesting to see the ways they intersected. I can't wait for more by this author!

Carrie Soto is Back

I don't love playing sports but I do LOVE reading about them. This book was a grand slam. It started off a little slow and I did not like the main character, Carrie Soto, very much in the beginning. Throughout the book she isn't exactly the world's most lovable character - but damn you have to admire her grit and determination. And I LOVED her father who was her coach. Carrie Soto is the GOAT - she has set some of the most impressive records for Tennis and when she retired after winning 20 grand slams she thought her record was safe. Half a decade after her retirement her record is tied and Carrie can't abide by that, not for one minute. She enlists her father to help coach her again and her goal is to win at least one more slam and get her record back. But at 37 is that even possible anymore? Fantastic and keeps you at the edge of your seat. I don't even like tennis but I was hooked!